2020 UFAs. Who do you target?

[steveoath]

We should have a big chunk of change coming off the roster this post season. Are there any UFAs that you would like JBot to target.

RNH? Pageau? Short term deal on Backstrom? 

[Brawndo]

Tyler Toffoli . 

Erik Haula

Mikael Granlund

Vlad Namesrnikov 

The Deals would have to be right though.

 

Unfortunately RHN has another year left 

[Eleven]

Holtby or Lehner.  This team needs goaltending more than anything right now.  By the time Luukkonnen develops--IF he develops---they will have wasted a bunch of players' prime years.

[Brawndo]

Washington has the Cap Space for Backstrom and JPP is having a Drew Stafford Contract Year 

[Brawndo]

I like the Holtby Idea a lot 

[Mustache of God]

Toffoli

Gudas

Reaves

Deslauries

Gritty the mascot

This team needs grit.

[Mustache of God]

17 minutes ago, Brawndo said:

I like the Holtby Idea a lot 

If we sign Holtby, does that mean we buy out Hutton? Or just stuff him send him to the AHL?

[Curt]

53 minutes ago, Eleven said:

Holtby or Lehner.  This team needs goaltending more than anything right now.  By the time Luukkonnen develops--IF he develops---they will have wasted a bunch of players' prime years.

 

45 minutes ago, Brawndo said:

I like the Holtby Idea a lot 

Lehner is not coming back to Buffalo.  I would be flabbergasted.  He is moving forward with his life.  I doubt he goes back to a place where he was at such a terrible place in his life.

Holtby’s performance has been in decline for a couple seasons.  I think it’s very unlikely that he comes close to being worth his next contract.

[Doohicksie]

42 minutes ago, Mustache of God said:

Gritty the mascot

Yes, please  ?

[nfreeman]

1 hour ago, Eleven said:

Holtby or Lehner.  This team needs goaltending more than anything right now.  By the time Luukkonnen develops--IF he develops---they will have wasted a bunch of players' prime years.

 

1 hour ago, Brawndo said:

I like the Holtby Idea a lot 

In the abstract yes please on Holtby, but I'd have a hard time giving him, say, 7 years x $7MM, which is probably what it would cost to get him here.

[Eleven]

4 hours ago, Curt said:

Holtby’s performance has been in decline for a couple seasons.  I think it’s very unlikely that he comes close to being worth his next contract.

 

3 hours ago, nfreeman said:

In the abstract yes please on Holtby, but I'd have a hard time giving him, say, 7 years x $7MM, which is probably what it would cost to get him here.

And there's the problem with Holtby.  I'd give him 5 by 7 or 7 by 5, though.  I don't know DC's cap situation; I don't know what they can do.

 

4 hours ago, Curt said:

Lehner is not coming back to Buffalo.  I would be flabbergasted.  He is moving forward with his life.  I doubt he goes back to a place where he was at such a terrible place in his life.

He didn't seek a geographical cure for his problems.  It's not outside the realm of possibilities that he would sign a nice long-term kx here.

[#freejame]

1 minute ago, Eleven said:

 

And there's the problem with Holtby.  I'd give him 5 by 7 or 7 by 5, though.  I don't know DC's cap situation; I don't know what they can do.

 

He didn't seek a geographical cure for his problems.  It's not outside the realm of possibilities that he would sign a nice long-term kx here.

I could be way off here, but isn’t the track record for UFA goalie signings pretty poor throughout the last 15 years or so? I feel like goalie is probably the most important position to develop within just because it can be such a fluky position. 

[Eleven]

1 minute ago, #freejame said:

I could be way off here, but isn’t the track record for UFA goalie signings pretty poor throughout the last 15 years or so? I feel like goalie is probably the most important position to develop within just because it can be such a fluky position. 

I think you're off track.  Lehner would be just one example.  Bobrovsky wasn't a mess, either.  Mrazek would have hit FA.  There are opportunities.  Even backups might be better than Ullmark (he is having a nice game tonight) or Hutton (eew).

[Curt]

3 minutes ago, Eleven said:

 

And there's the problem with Holtby.  I'd give him 5 by 7 or 7 by 5, though.  I don't know DC's cap situation; I don't know what they can do.

 

He didn't seek a geographical cure for his problems.  It's not outside the realm of possibilities that he would sign a nice long-term kx here.

I don’t think I’d like to give Holtby even that much.  He is in the midst of his 3rd consecutive very meh/average/mediocre season.  I’m pretty confident that Washington is just going to let him walk before giving him something close to what you propose.

For Lehner, why go back to the city where you have so many awful memories?  Where you hit rock bottom and felt the worst you ever did in your life.  If I was him, I would want to move forward with life, without those memories around every corner.

[Eleven]

2 minutes ago, Curt said:

3rd consecutive very meh/average/mediocre season.

There is a Cup within that period.

Lehner may make other choices, but that is up to him--it has nothing to do with whether the Sabres should pursue him and everything to do with his ability to say "no."  But to not give it a shot--from the team's perspective?!

[Curt]

3 minutes ago, Eleven said:

There is a Cup within that period.

Lehner may make other choices, but that is up to him--it has nothing to do with whether the Sabres should pursue him and everything to do with his ability to say "no."  But to not give it a shot--from the team's perspective?!

Yeah, Holtby was good in the 2017-18 playoffs, but that doesn’t mean much for 2020 and beyond.  I could find a 25 game stretch where Hutton, just for example, was great too.

I think Lehner wouldn’t be a bad signing, in a vacuum.  I just really doubt he would be interested, in reality.

[#freejame]

5 minutes ago, Eleven said:

I think you're off track.  Lehner would be just one example.  Bobrovsky wasn't a mess, either.  Mrazek would have hit FA.  There are opportunities.  Even backups might be better than Ullmark (he is having a nice game tonight) or Hutton (eew).

I wasn’t even thinking of Lehner, but he’s been good as a UFA signing, though he’s lacked term. I had thought of Bob as well, but then I thought he was having a lot of trouble in FLA this season. And I couldn’t remember what kind of term he was under in CBJ when he got traded there. 
 

Now backups on the other hand I feel like it matters much less. 

[Eleven]

5 minutes ago, Curt said:

Yeah, Holtby was good in the 2017-18 playoffs, but that doesn’t mean much for 2020 and beyond.  I could find a 25 game stretch where Hutton, just for example, was great too.

I think Lehner wouldn’t be a bad signing, in a vacuum.  I just really doubt he would be interested, in reality.

Holtby is 30!  That's not old for that position.  And you're off on the number of consecutive seasons, on top of it.  Geez.

Whether Lehner is interested, the Sabs never will know, unless they approach him.  Remember that really smart, funny, and pretty girl from English class however many years ago?  If you don't approach her, you don't know.

[Curt]

3 minutes ago, Eleven said:

Holtby is 30!  That's not old for that position.  And you're off on the number of consecutive seasons, on top of it.  Geez.

Whether Lehner is interested, the Sabs never will know, unless they approach him.  Remember that really smart, funny, and pretty girl from English class however many years ago?  If you don't approach her, you don't know.

I didn’t say Holtby was old.  I only said he hasn’t been particularly good in years .  He hasn’t put together a notable season since 2016-17.  He has been very average/meh since then.  What was I off about?

I didn’t say that Buffalo should not inquire about Lehner.  I only said that I doubt very much he would want to come back.

I feel like you are kind of putting words in my mouth here.

[Mustache of God]

I'd add Pietrangelo to the list as well if the term is right.

[Eleven]

1 hour ago, Curt said:

I didn’t say Holtby was old.  I only said he hasn’t been particularly good in years .  He hasn’t put together a notable season since 2016-17.  He has been very average/meh since then.  What was I off about?

I didn’t say that Buffalo should not inquire about Lehner.  I only said that I doubt very much he would want to come back.

I feel like you are kind of putting words in my mouth here.

Maybe I am, accidentally.  But 2017-18 is pretty notable for Holtby.  There is a Cup there!

And maybe you were putting words in Robin Lehner's mouth?  Let's not assume where he would or would not go.

[PerreaultForever]

I always look for value in the middle of the pack guys. No huge names as that's unsustainable unless you're looking to dump some current bigger names (like not resigning Reinhart for example). Complementary players and/or role players that fill out the roster quicker than waiting on prospects. So maybe:

Josh Leivo

Jean-Gabriel Pageau

Maybe Namestnikov or Dadonov for the right price.

I'd also look at Kassian actually (although I'm not sure how he'd feel about Buffalo) and consider Reaves if Vegas lets him go. We do need to add some toughness somewhere. Somebody like that.

[Billssabres33]

I don’t know if he’s an ufa, but Marcus Foligno might be nice

[Eleven]

2 hours ago, Billssabres33 said:

I don’t know if he’s an ufa, but Marcus Foligno might be nice

2021.

[Zamboni]

If we are going to add grit (or as some like to call it “toughness”), I want a guy who can contribute more than 5-7 goals a year and 100 pims. Good grief. Way more points, less pims. Reaves and Foligno would be a freakin joke. They would in short order become the fan favorite in Oct and Nov... followed by being the whipping boy/strongly disliked by Jan thru Apr.